Joshua Bennett
The Nguyễn dynasty, the last Vietnamese dynasty, was founded by Gia Long and ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. The dynasty exhibited a hostile attitude towards Catholics, and the period from 1820 to 1883 saw the brutal suppression of Catholic followers, often known as the Lệnh Bách Đạo or the Order to suppress Catholics. However, the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Nguyễn dynasty was complex, with some members of the dynasty, such as Prince Nguyễn Ánh, who later became Emperor Gia Long, exhibiting tolerance or even support for the Catholic community. The French colonial invasion and occupation of Vietnam were likely justified, in part, by the pretext of protecting Catholic believers and clergy in the country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Founding of the Nguyễn Dynasty | 1802 |
| Founding Family | The Nguyễn Family |
| Founding Figure | Nguyễn Ánh, also known as Gia Long |
| Attitude Towards Catholics | Hostile, with some exceptions |
| Catholic Population in Vietnam | Growing |
| Catholic Martyrs | 117 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Nguyễn dynasty exhibited a hostile attitude towards Catholics from 1802-1945
- Gia Long's death in 1820 led to increased Catholic persecution
- French colonialists used the pretext of protecting Catholics to invade Vietnam
- Catholics were rewarded with preferential treatment under colonial rule
- Rebellions during the Nguyễn dynasty were often led by Catholic priests
The Nguyễn dynasty exhibited a hostile attitude towards Catholics from 1802-1945
The Nguyễn dynasty (or House of Nguyễn Phúc) ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. It was founded by Gia Long, who united Vietnam after a three-hundred-year division and established his capital in Huế. The dynasty was preceded by the Nguyễn lords, who ruled southern Vietnam from 1558 to 1777 and then from 1780 to 1802. During this earlier period, the Nguyễn lords had established control over large parts of southern Vietnam.
The Nguyễn dynasty exhibited a hostile attitude towards Catholics from its inception in 1802 until its end in 1945. This attitude was in stark contrast to that of the preceding Nguyễn lords, who had been supported by Catholic missionaries in their quest for power. The Tây Sơn dynasty, which ruled prior to the Nguyễn dynasty, also tried to leverage its relationship with the Catholic Church to dissuade the French from supporting the leader of the Đàng Trong, Nguyen Phuc Anh. However, this attempt was unsuccessful, and the Nguyễn dynasty that followed exhibited a strong anti-Catholic stance.
The Nguyễn dynasty's hostility towards Catholics was manifested in the brutal suppression of Catholic followers from 1820 to 1883, known as the Lệnh Bách Đạo or "Order to suppress Catholics". This period saw the issuance of a series of edicts, including the ruthless 1839 Kỷ Hợi Edict, which called for the merciless arrest, beating, and torture of those who refused to trample on pictures of the Cross. The edict explicitly stated that there was no need for a trial and that any means necessary should be used to exterminate those who refused to renounce their faith.
The suppression of Catholics under the Nguyễn dynasty was so severe that many chose to die rather than renounce their faith. As a result, 117 individuals were canonized as saints and semi-saints by the Church for their martyrdom during this period. The French colonial invasion and occupation of Vietnam were likely justified, in part, by the need to protect Catholic believers and clergy in the region. However, it is important to note that no reason can justify colonial invasion and occupation.
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Gia Long's death in 1820 led to increased Catholic persecution
The Nguyễn dynasty was founded in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long, who ruled until his death in 1820. Gia Long was relatively friendly towards Western powers and Christianity. He allowed unimpeded missionary activities and was supported by Catholic missionaries, who acted as procurement agents and military advisors.
However, the death of Gia Long in 1820 led to increased Catholic persecution. Gia Long's successor, Emperor Minh Mạng, was a strict Confucian who feared that Christianity was undermining the Confucian foundation of Vietnamese society and politics. He believed that the religion was incompatible with absolute fealty to him as the "son of heaven". Minh Mạng's reign from 1820 to 1841 saw the implementation of an anti-Catholicism propaganda campaign, with the religion denounced as "vicious" and full of "false teaching". This period marked a resumption of Catholic persecution, which had temporarily ceased under Gia Long due to his tolerance of the faith and his reliance on Catholic supporters.
Minh Mạng's anti-Catholic policies resulted in more than two hundred rebellions across the country, with persistent rebellions occurring throughout the Nguyễn Dynasty, often led by Catholic priests seeking to install a Christian monarch. The brutal suppression of Catholics during this period, from 1820 to 1883, is known as the "Lệnh Bách Đạo" or Order to Suppress Catholics.
The persecution of Christians by the Nguyễn rulers induced French military intervention in 1858 and ultimately led to the French conquest of Vietnam. The French likely used the pretext of protecting Catholic believers as one of their justifications for the conquest. From the years of French colonial rule until the signing of the Geneva Accords in 1954, Catholicism developed with the support of the Vatican.
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French colonialists used the pretext of protecting Catholics to invade Vietnam
The Nguyễn dynasty ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. The first Catholic missionaries visited Vietnam in the 16th century, and by the 17th century, Jesuit missionaries had started to gain converts within the local populations. In the 18th century, the French missionary priest and Bishop of Adraa Pigneau de Behaine became a political and military advisor to Nguyễn Ánh, who later became Emperor Gia Long. Pigneau hoped to gain important concessions for the Catholic Church in Vietnam and to help its expansion throughout Southeast Asia.
Emperor Gia Long tolerated Catholicism, but his successors, Minh Mạng and Thiệu Trị, were orthodox, fundamentalist Confucians who forbade Catholic proselytism and resisted European and American attempts to establish colonial trade posts. They also targeted Catholic Christians for religious persecution, issuing several edicts of restriction of the Catholic religion and forbidding missionary activities. This persecution of Catholics and the executions of French bishops created an excuse for intervention by France.
The French colonialists used the pretext of protecting Catholics to invade Vietnam. They also had economic motives and wanted to establish their presence in Southeast Asia. In 1857, the Vietnamese emperor Tự Đức executed two Spanish Catholic missionaries, and France and Spain declared war and invaded Vietnam. French troops took the citadel of Saigon with ease after two days of fighting. With support from local Vietnamese Catholics who saw the French as liberators, the attackers then captured several strongholds of the Red River Delta.
The French colonialists divided Vietnam into three regions after their occupation: Cochinchina (Nam Kỳ), Annam (Trung Kỳ), and Tonkin (Bắc Kỳ). This division was partly influenced by their experience of dividing territories for missionary purposes. From the years of French colonial rule in Vietnam until the signing of the Geneva Accords in 1954, Catholicism developed with the Vatican's support.
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Catholics were rewarded with preferential treatment under colonial rule
Catholicism was first introduced to Vietnam in the 16th century by missionaries from Portugal and Spain. In the early 17th century, Jesuit missionaries from Italy, Portugal, and Japan began to gain converts within the local populations.
During the Nguyễn dynasty (1802-1945), there was a hostile attitude towards Catholics, with the brutal suppression of Catholic followers from 1820-1883, often known as the Lệnh Bách Đạo (Order to suppress Catholics). During the French colonial campaign against Vietnam from 1858 to 1883, many Catholics joined the French in fighting against the Vietnamese government.
Once colonial rule was established, Catholics were rewarded with preferential treatment. They were given preferential treatment in government posts and education, and the church was granted large areas of royal land that had been seized. The French colonialists also divided Vietnam into three regions: Cochinchina (Nam Kỳ), Annam (Trung Kỳ), and Tonkin (Bắc Kỳ). This division was influenced by the previous division of territories for missionary purposes.
After the French were overthrown and Vietnam was temporarily divided in the mid-1950s, there was a mass migration of Vietnamese Catholics from North to South. This was due to the privileged position they had enjoyed under French rule, and the uncertainty of their future under the new government. The migration of northern Catholics sparked tensions with local populations, as the government of President Ngô Đình Diệm replaced local leaders with Catholic refugees. Diệm, whose brother was Archbishop Ngô Đình Thục, gave extra rights to the Catholic Church and promoted Catholic military officers and public servants while restricting the practice of Buddhism.
In summary, Catholics in Vietnam were rewarded with preferential treatment under colonial rule in the form of government posts, education, land grants, and influence in society. This treatment contributed to increasing political and social conflicts, especially during the migration of Catholics to the South after the country was divided in the mid-1950s.
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Rebellions during the Nguyễn dynasty were often led by Catholic priests
The Nguyễn dynasty was founded as a tributary state of the Qing Empire, with Gia Long receiving an imperial pardon and recognition as the ruler of Vietnam from the Jiaqing Emperor. The dynasty ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945. During this time, the Nguyễn dynasty exhibited a hostile attitude towards Catholics. The Catholic Church in Vietnam, as well as Vietnamese historians, recorded the brutal suppression of Catholic followers from 1820 to 1883, often known as the Lệnh Bách Đạo (Order to suppress Catholics). This persecution of Christians induced French military action in 1858 and ultimately the French conquest of Vietnam.
During the Nguyễn dynasty, there were persistent rebellions, many led by Catholic priests intent on installing a Christian monarch. Rebellions during the Nguyễn dynasty were often led by Catholic priests, who enjoyed more tolerance under the Nguyễn rulers than their rivals, the Trịnh Lords. The Trịnh Lords were hostile towards Christians and expelled Christian missionaries from the country. In contrast, the Nguyễn rulers were more tolerant of Christians, although not without skepticism. This resulted in more Christians in the south than in the north of Vietnam, a situation that continued from the 17th century onwards.
The first Catholic missionaries visited Vietnam from Portugal and Spain in the 16th century. However, it was only after the arrival of Jesuits in the first decades of the 17th century that Christianity began to gain a significant number of converts within the local populations. These missionaries were mainly Italians, Portuguese, and Japanese. Two priests, Francesco Buzomi and Diogo Carvalho, established the first Catholic community in Hội An in 1615. Despite the presence of these missionaries, the early Catholic missions in Vietnam achieved only modest success among the local populations.
During the reign of Emperor Gia Long, who founded the Nguyễn dynasty, there was a significant decrease in Catholic persecution. Gia Long was relatively friendly towards Western powers and Christianity. However, after his death, successive Nguyễn emperors imprisoned, murdered, and oppressed Christians. This brutal treatment of Christians by the Nguyễn rulers induced French military action in 1858. During the French colonial campaign against Vietnam from 1858 to 1883, many Catholics joined with the French in establishing colonialism by fighting against the Vietnamese government. Once colonial rule was established, the Catholics were rewarded with preferential treatment in government posts and education, and the church was given vast tracts of royal land that had been seized.
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Frequently asked questions
The Nguyễn Dynasty ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945.
The Nguyễn Dynasty was hostile towards Catholics. From 1820 to 1883, the Catholic Church in Vietnam and Vietnamese historians recorded the brutal suppression of Catholic followers, often known as the Lệnh Bách Đạo (Order to suppress Catholics).
Yes, during this time, some counsellors among the nine-rank officials, the highest-ranking government officials at the time, were Catholics.
Yes, the persecution of Christians increased after the death of Gia Long. Successive Nguyễn emperors imprisoned, murdered, and oppressed Christians. This induced French military action in 1858 and ultimately the French conquest of Vietnam.
